Love and War in the 21st century
by Melisende
Summary: It's a different Hogwarts for the seventh years: Betrayal, love and lust become commonplace, friendships are made and severed, and hearts are broken.
1. The express

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the people/places/things that I create**

"Hermione, tell me about Italy.  How was it?" asked Ron politely as soon as he, Hermione, and Harry were seated on the Hogwarts express.  Hermione, apparently very eager to tell someone of her summer vacation, said loudly, "Oh Ron, it was lovely!  Warm all the time, not like dreary old London.  And Oh!—".  She said this with such a start that neither Harry nor Ron could be spared a little jump. Hermione, oblivious to this, continued: "there was this beautiful old Library where I would just come every day."  Harry and Ron both smiled inwardly, for Hermione spending her whole vacation reading did not surprise them at all—they could not think of anything that their best friend liked to do more than read.  Well, possibly her schoolwork.

The three chatted effortlessly for a long time, especially since they had shamefully not sent many letters to each other over the summer.  They quickly forgot that fact, however, and continued to talk—Harry about the terrible Dursleys, Ron of his heavy quidditch practicing, and Hermione of her N.E.W.T. review  ("I just didn't know which ones to review first—muggle studies or arithmancy!").  By the time the three had run out of things to say, the lunch trolley was stopped by their car.  Harry fished out a pocketful of coins to buy his friend's cauldron cakes when he noticed a billowing of long dark hair from behind the trolley. He sat, transfixed for a moment, until the girl floated away.  Regaining his senses, he hoped that Hermione and Ron had not seen the look on his face, although by the quizzical looks on _their faces, he doubted it.  _

"See a ghost mate?" asked a grinning Ron who had just bitten into his cauldron cake.

"Nah…" replied Harry, trying to act as casually as he could, although he could not get his thoughts to move from the girl with the chestnut hair. 

"Well!" said Ron cheerfully after he'd finished his lunch in a total of two bites.  "I do wonder what Malfoy has been up to all summer.  I wonder if he's gotten any uglier."  As Harry and Hermione knew well, verbally abusing Malfoy, even if he wasn't there, was one of Ron's favourite things to do.  Not that they could blame him, however.  The Malfoys had always been terrible to the Weasleys, and Draco was a particularly terrible Malfoy.

"I hear that he's been studying up on his defense against the dark arts" said Hermione.

"Ha!" cried Ron ltoudly, "I knew it! I knew he would fail, that little bastard!"

"Ron!" shouted Hermione, who tried her hardest to give everyone fair chances, even the Malfoys.  As she saw Ron shrink away, a little frightened, she went on in a softer voice, "what I meant by that was that he's taking _advanced _lessons.  He'll probably be better than all of us this year.  Except maybe Harry!"  As she beamed at him, Harry couldn't help blush a little bit.

Ron, remembering that he finally had some pocket money, said "Listen you two.  I'm going to get me a chocolate frog.  Still have my birthday money.  Might even treat the two of you!"  With that he did a little skip out the door for the other's amusement.

"His appetite is insatiable!" said a giggling Hermione.

            As Ron spotted the lunch trolley slowly moving its way up the train, he began to speed towards it, and bumped into someone coming from the car next to him.  A few moments later, he realized that it was a girl.  She was now looking for something on the ground, and Ron, being the gentleman he considered himself to be, picked up a large shiny silver badge that was lying near his foot.

            "Is this it?" he asked her.

            "Yes!" she replied in an accent he couldn't quite figure out, "thank you!"

            Ron was dumbstruck for a moment, because he didn't believe that he'd ever seen anyone so beautiful.  Her dark brown hair fell past her shoulders in soft waves, and her eyes, which Ron had noticed first, flashed green flecks out of their dark brown surface.  When she went to take her badge from Ron he noticed how small and smooth her hands were.  She gave him another glance of her perfectly white teeth, said goodbye, and then walked off down the hall.  Ron, forgetting completely what he had left his train car for, wandered brightly back into it.  When he stepped into it, his memory came flooding back to him. "oh, sorry" he said "must have forgotten".

            "Ron, what, uh, else were you doing out there?" said Harry with a smile.

            "Shut up!" said an indignant Ron, throwing his robes at Harry.

The three of them were calmly absorbed in their own things for a time—Harry with his broomstick polishing, Ron with his thoughts, and Hermione with her seventh year textbooks.  Finally, Ron asked, "Harry, did you see that girl with the brown hair".  Harry, pausing a moment to ponder his answer said,

            "Well, you know, I've seen more than one." 

            Ron, choosing to ignore this comment, said "she's probably a couple of inches taller than Hermione; she's got long dark hair, and these beautiful eyes." He sighed.

            Harry, sure that this was the girl he had seen earlier that day said "Yeah, I saw her—well, the back of her head, but still."  Excited to learn that his mystery girl was a mystery no longer, asked "so you saw her? Did, did you talk to her?"

            Ron replied, crestfallen, "well, not really.  We just kind of bumped heads in the hall." Ron blushed and Harry snickered.  "She dropped her..her head girl badge" said Ron, looking at Hermione, who appeared to be keenly less interested in her textbooks at the moment.  "I wonder who she is, and what house she's in.  I've never seen her!"

            Finally Hermione said softly, "I know who you mean".  Only then did she look up from _Defense Against the Dark Arts: Level Seven.  _"She's new this year, and she's a seventh year."

Harry and Ron looked at each other, and then Harry said, "But I thought that to get into Hogwarts you had to start as a first year."  

Hermione sighed.  "Had you read the _Daily Prophet, Harry, it would have saved me time from explaining this." Hermione paused, eyed Harry and Ron with exasperation, and then said "As it is, I can't have you ignorant about everything, can I?".  She gave a small smile.  "She came from Durmstrang, but switched to Hogwarts because her parents had no idea  she'd be learning so _much _of the dark arts." At this she rolled her eyes dramatically.  "Utter rubbish if you ask me."_

"And Dumbledore just accepted her, like that?" asked Ron, who was by this point in his life, coming to think that Hogwarts rules didn't count for anything anymore.

Hermione replied, no longer patronizingly, "I guess that it is a bit strange, but maybe this situation has never arisen before." Then she said softly "Dumbledore does have his ways."

Harry and Ron,  satisfied for the moment with their knowledge of that particular fact, were almost inclined to change in their robes (for they figured it would only be another half an hour till the train rolled in), when Ron remembered something. "Hermione?" he said softly, with a bit of fear in his voice.

"hmm?" she said, already deeply absorbed in her textbooks.

"Were you not chosen to be Head girl?".  For a moment he wished that he could take back his words.  Hermione closed her book quietly and looked him straight in the eyes, while Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Well, I guess not!" said Hermione after moments of silence, more quietly than either Harry or Ron expected.  "I don't really know why—it isn't as if they mail you a letter telling you why you _weren't_ chosen." Said Hermione with a smile that she hoped masked her embarrassment and her hurt.  She had had around two weeks to calm herself since _not _receiving the one thing she had been waiting for all summer.  She could cover up her feelings so that Ron and Harry would see only the brave and proud Hermione.

Despite feeling terrible bitterness towards the girl who had stolen her head girlhood and so obviously both of her friend's affections, she couldn't but wonder who this girl really was.


	2. Confusion

**Disclaimer:     **I own nothing except the people/places/things that I create

The rest of the ride to Hogwarts was quiet and fairly uneventful.  All of the seventh years were chattering mostly among themselves as they entered the great hall. 

            Hermione, Ron, and Harry especially, were all pleased to find that it was exactly the same as they had left it.  They knew that they could always count on Hogwarts. 

            As the three seated themselves between Dean and Lavender, they began to talk away happily once again, enjoying the mindless conversations that they could have with each other.  It was not until they noticed some more of the Slytherins showing up that heads began to turn.  Harry and Ron turned to find that it was none other than Draco Malfoy, his two oafs, Crabbe and Goyle, and, and a pretty dark-haired girl.  Malfoy's arm was wrapped playfully around her shoulders, and he looked as if he were trying to tell her something clever, a smirk spread across his face.  A small smile was revealed on her face, but she looked desperately uncomfortable, especially with all the eyes resting on the group that had just walked in.  Although everyone noticed that the four of them were very late, it was only when this girl sat at the Slytherin table that whispers made their way around the great hall. 

            "A Slytherin?? I've never seen a _Slytherin_ so good looking!" laughed Seamus.  "But" he continued, "she looks really shy—I thought that they were all really ruthless".

            "Well, just because you're quiet doesn't mean that you can't have a dark side" said Ron, amusedly, before biting into his roll.

            "Oh goodness, calm down all of you.  It's as if you'd never seen a girl." Said Hermione, expecting some sort of nasty joke about her to arise, but none did.  She felt that that was almost worse.

            Finally, when all of the house tables were shushed by a motioning from Dumbledore, the first years were led through the sorting, then on to reinstating of the rules—the seventh years could practically recite them all by now—and through important news from the summer.  Nothing very important, at least to most of the seventh years, was revealed, until the naming of the new teachers.  There would only be one new teacher for the seventh years—everyone knew that it would be Defense against the dark arts—but to the surprise of everyone but the professors, it was Dumbledore.

            Even Hermione couldn't explain this.  After Dumbledore made his shocking announcement, she said, in just as much disbelief as anyone else, "Headmasters almost _never _teach.  I would have thought he had enough to do already." With a final sigh she said, "Although I do wish he could have written this in the Hogwarts newsletter, so I wouldn't be so surprised." 

            Finally, at the end of the feast, Dumbledore announced the Head girl and boy.  Although Hermione was upset, and Harry and Ron knew that, they knew of no way to console her, and so sat with the rest of the Gryffindors, waiting eagerly to learn of the head boyhood.  Finally Dumbledore announced the two: "this year's head boy will be Draco Malfoy, and this year's head girl will be Sarah Flynn".  For a moment, Ron wondered who Sarah Flynn was, until he remembered that it was the pretty dark-haired girl.  He was only satisfied for a moment that he had learned her name, for the next moment, he remembered that Malfoy was the one who was head boy.  Everyone at Gryffindor table was now furious that Malfoy of all people was head boy, and even more furious that there could be two Slytherins chosen to lead the school, consequently, two people who were sitting right next to each other. 

            "Well, for once, I must say, I am envious of Malfoy.  Head boy and girl have rooms right next to each other you know?  Share a bathroom too."  Said Harry with a smile. 

            Hermione frowned.  She hadn't seen him so smitten since Cho.  But, things had not worked out with her, and she had left the school last year.  Hermione couldn't help but feel a little jealous at all the attention this girl was receiving.  

            "Sarah", Ron thought to himself.  "If only she weren't a Slytherin.  I wonder if I'll get to see her again."

            Across the hall sat Sarah, thinking the same thing about the red-headed boy.  This red-headed boy seemed like the one decent person that she had met all day.  The Slytherins at her table kept on eyeing her—the males made her uncomfortable, and the girls seemed to loathe her with all their hearts.  Earlier on the Hogwarts Express she had been asked to sit by Pansy and a couple of her friends.  They had seemed nice enough at first, but they did nothing but gossip about the people who thought that they were their friends.  Since she had nothing to contribute to the conversation--seeing as she had no idea who these people were--she kept herself busy with folding her robes and arranging her brand new textbooks.    She hardly even noticed when a blonde-haired boy walked into the car, and looked straight at Pansy, "if you have to giggle like a maniac, refrain from doing it within my hearing range!"  Pansy gave an indignant glare that also suggested longing and wanting.  Draco didn't seem to notice it.  He was just about to leave when he saw Sarah from the corner of his eye.

            "Well, who have we got here?" asked Draco in his usual voice—heavy and drawling.  Sarah, unaware that anyone was talking to her, kept on reading. 

            "That's Sarah" said Pansy flatly.  At the sound of her name, Sarah's ears pricked up and she looked to face Draco.   She blushed when she saw that he was staring straight at her, with a look that she didn't often get from others.  Draco stuck out a hand in greeting, saying, "Hello, I'm Draco Malfoy."

            "Hello" replied Sarah, as cheerfully as she could muster, "I'm Sarah Flynn."

            "Of course you are" said Draco smoothly, with a smile playing on his face, "I've read all about you in the newsletter."

            "Oh", said Sarah, unsure what to say.

            "Do you mind if I stay?" said Draco, looking into Sarah's eyes.  Sarah looked to Pansy—after all, she was the one who had invited her.

            'That's alright" said Pansy dryly.  Although she made room for Draco on her side of the car, he sat next to Sarah, hardly taking his eyes off of her.  Sarah had never had so much attention focused on her at one time.  

            Even where she was, in the banquet at the moment, Draco sat right beside her.  Later that evening, the two of them were told what their responsibilities and their privileges were by Dumbledore.  It was the usual things that they had both expected—they were the ones who kept order over the school, they would share a common room with their house, etc… The only thing that Sarah was surprised to learn was that they were exempt from the rule that they were to be in their rooms by the designated time.  Sarah could think of no reason why this should be the case, but rules are rules, she thought.

            It was late in the evening when they retired to their rooms.  Sarah liked the privacy that came with getting her own room, but it felt odd that Malfoy, who had been hounding her the good part of seven hours, was in the room right next to her.  Even worse, she thought: we both have to share a bathroom.

            Just as Sarah began to unpack her things, she heard a knock at the door that joined hers and Malfoy's room.  Knowing that she would have to open it sooner or later, she sighed, and opened it to find Malfoy.  Although she would not know it, he looked different from what anyone at Hogwarts remembered him as.  He was taller, and definitely stronger and more powerful than he had been all those past six years.  While some girls might have found this appealing, and, although she could not deny she found him attractive, she was much more intimidated by his muscles than anything else at the moment.

            "Hello Sarah".  The way he said her name sent shivers down her spine.

            "Uh, hello Malfoy" said Sarah in return, unsure of what to do next or what to say.  "Would you like to sit down or something?"

            "No" he said, simply and plainly.  "I just want to lay down some ground rules here.  Number one:" and with that he took a step closer to Sarah, which she countered by backing up slightly, "no walking into other's rooms.  Number two:" and he took another step closer to Sarah.  She backed up once again.  "We knock before walking into the washrooms.  Fair enough? "Sarah was unsure whether she nodded or not, because now she could feel his breath descending upon her.  "And…nah…there is no number three." He said with a laugh.  Sarah tried to back up some more, but they were practically nose to nose.  Malfoy bent his head to hers, kissing her ears.  His strong biceps curved around her arms so that she couldn't move.  She struggled, feeling herself growing weaker all the time.  She felt his hot breath pour onto her neck, as he began to softly kiss her. "You know" he said "it's really better if you don't struggle."  He put a hand on the small of her back, and moved her closer to him.

            "No!" she cried into Malfoy's ear, causing him to step back in shock.  "I will not be manipulated like this.  You're head boy and I'm head girl, and this is wrong."

            Malfoy thought on this a moment, and then, thinking that neither reason she gave was very good, said quietly and with the same drawl in his voice as ever, "suit yourself".  He left the room, all the while clutching a small necklace in his left hand.

            Sarah was left confused and alone; half of her wishing that she had never met Malfoy, and the other half wishing that this rendezvous would not be their last.


End file.
